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Local scenes hit the big screen at film festival

By TIMES WIRES
Published December 27, 2006

The Tampa Bay area will get international exposure next month at the Sundance Film Festival with the unveiling of Grace is Gone, a dramatic picture starring John Cusack. Part of the movie was shot this spring at Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas, the Hilton Westshore hotel in Tampa and Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven. Written by James C. Strouse, the film is about a distraught father who must tell his young daughters that their mother has died in the Iraq War. The festival is scheduled for Jan. 18-28 in Park City, Utah.

Get free help with Medicare drug plan

Last-minute help is on the way for those who still need to enroll in the Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage plan by Sunday's deadline. Representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will answer questions for free from 8 to 11 a.m. Friday at Walgreens, 6818 N Armenia Ave., Tampa. On Monday, qualifying seniors and disabled beneficiaries can begin using the Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage plan. More than 38-million people are already signed up. The next opportunity to enroll in a Medicare drug plan starts in November 2007 for the 2008 year.

Good news for black bears, water

It was the setting for the television show Sea Hunt and the movie Hoot. Now Silver Springs, a source of fresh spring water and a habitat for rare and endangered species near Ocala, is on its way to being preserved for years. The state recently purchased 2,677 acres near Silver Springs through a partnership with the Nature Conservancy and Marion County. It will purchase the remaining 1,793 acres next fiscal year. The purchase includes habitat for the bald eagle, Florida black bear and gopher tortoise. It includes 13 known sinkholes and is considered an important source of spring water. The purchase is part of the 10-year, $3-billion Florida Forever program. "Silver Springs is a popular destination for visitors and an important part of Florida's heritage," Gov. Jeb Bush said.

Bye-bye, umbrella; hello, flannel PJ's

Say goodbye to the gloomy overcast skies and rain of the past few days. A cold front has brought clear skies for a day or two, but significantly cooler overnight temperatures. Thermometers around the Tampa Bay area will register in the 40s and even in the high 30s in some of the traditional cold spots. Afternoon temps will rise into the 70s in most areas. The forecast for the weekend calls for more showers.

[Last modified December 27, 2006, 00:15:55]